Eddy has taken a trip to South Africa with his family in order to watch his team, Holland, compete in the Fifa World Cup 2010.

Eddy will be watching their games for as long as they are in the running, combining football and fun as he will also be going on Safari during his trip.

The Netherlands are in Group E, and Eddy thinks that the team’s most talented player is Robin Van Persie, who plays for Arsenal when not playing for his country.

Edgar Swaab frequently takes holidays in Nice, France.

Eddy will be spending some time with his family there this summer, in La Colle Sur Loup.  Eddy enjoys the sunny, temperate climate, and his time in Nice will provide a well earned rest from business as usual.

Being a gastronome, Eddy enjoys the fabulous summer fruit, cooling fresh salads, fresh fish, grilled meats, the wonderful fresh herbs, olives and local goat’s cheeses.  Eddy recommends buying ingredients from local markets and shops where the freshest and most delicious foods can be found.

Edgar Swaab is passionate about cigars.  His current favourite brand is Partagas Serie D, No. 4.

Partagas Serie D No.4 is known as the best Robustos in the world, and according to Eddy there are several reasons why.

Appearance:

Oily Madura wrapper is smooth and silky.  Eddy feels that each one is a pleasure to look at.

Construction:

Eddy has not observed any glitches.  Flawless construction – the Partagas is well rolled, burns easily and gives as much smoke as Eddy needs.  The draw is also fairly easy.

Flavour:

In the beginning the stogie is quite spicy, then calms down a little and offers flavours of precious wood and cinnamon.   Eddy would say these cigars have a medium power.   The second third brings notes of humus and green pepper; the flavours are very powerful and balanced.  The last third is the peak of smoke complexity and must be the favourite part of a real aficionado.  However, this does not last long and the power slowly decreases. The finish is smooth and soothing.

Value:

Eddy does not feel as if he has ever wasted money on purchasing D4s.

Edgar Swaab is a wine connoisseur and has spent many years developing his palate for fine wines.  Here he lists some of his favourites, and gives a short description of each.

Chateaux Latour 1961

Eddy’s favourite wine.

Eddy describes this wine as a port-like, majestic wine with hints of mint, cedar and great concentration of fruit.  Eddy believes the wine is near its peak and may still be nearing its peak in 20 years time.  The 1961 Latour possesses a viscosity and thickness – described by Eddy as liquid perfection, exhibiting full-bodied, voluptuous textures, exquisite purity and concentration, and a layered, highly nuanced finish that represents the essence of compellingly great wine.  Eddy has been a fan of the wine for a few years now, but the wine has been fully mature for over 15 years and it seems to get richer, holding onto its succulence and fat, and developing more aromatic nuances without losing any sweetness or concentration.

Chateau la Mission Haut Brion 1989

Eddy would argue that this is one of the most renowned wines on earth and one of the greatest young Bordeaux wines of the last half century.  Eddy describes the wine as having a very thick, viscous looking ruby/purple colour, with awe inspiringly heavy levels of fruit extract and glycerine in this low-acid wine.

Eddy believes that the wine is beginning to reveal hints of secondary nuances, but it is so sensuous, rich, opulent and super-concentrated as to be almost unimaginable.

Cheval Blanc 1998

Eddy has recently become interested in this young wine from the Bordeaux region that is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot.  Eddy believes that the oak, texture, acidity and tanning are all beautifully integrated.  While full-bodied, elegant, concentrated and impeccably balanced, Eddy would recommend that the wine requires several years of cellaring, and would advise the anticipated maturity between 2004 and 2020.

Edgar Swaab attended the Polo in the Park event on Saturday 5th June at the Hurlingham Club in Putney. Eddy was a guest of Daniel Fox Davies, of Fox Davies Capital, the owner of the event.

The Saturday was semi final day, and Eddy attended with his son, Alexander. Eddy and Alex arrived at 10.30am to a pitchside Harrods Continental Breakfast. This was followed by a polo match, and a midday Champagne reception with canapés at the Hurlingham Club.

Eddy and Alexander enjoyed a 2 course lunch with selected wines, and caught up with old business associates and friends.

Another polo match followed, after which Eddy had to leave to catch his Heathrow flight, but other guests enjoyed a Harrods Traditional Afternoon Tea, followed by the final match of the day.

Recently, Edgar Swaab has dined in several London restaurants, and his comments are as follows:
L’Autre Pied
Eddy visited this restaurant, sister to Pied a Terré, with his son Alexander. Eddy and Alex enjoyed the ‘Tasting Menu’, which uses the best of seasonal ingredients and varies week to week, priced at £55 per person.
Eddy is a fan of Marcus Eaves, a young chef who gained his first Michelin Star at just 27 years old, fourteen months after opening the doors of L’Autre Pied in London’s Marylebone.

Arbutus
Eddy visited this restaurant after reading that it had won Square Meal’s Restaurant of the Year 2009.

Arbutus is located in Frith Street in London’s Soho. Edgar attended the restaurant for dinner with a friend.

The menu is predominantly French, a favourite of Eddy’s, and while he said the food was of an exceptional standard, Eddy felt that the tables were too close together, and the atmosphere somewhat cramped. The Sea Bream was Eddy’s choice of main, which he described as ‘delicious’, however, Eddy felt that the menu was slight too focussed on game and heavy meats, rather than lighter options.

Edgar Swaab is a keen football enthusiast. He has been a supporter of AFC Ajax from a young age and holds a season ticket there. Eddy can be seen on the terraces several times a year.

Eddy’s grandfather was one of the founding members of Amsterdam Football Club (AFC) and Eddy played for the youth teams for many years. Eddy remains an ardent fan, watching his team play as many times as his schedule allows.

Eddy Swaab, a near professional standard backgammon player, attended this tournament in 2007, alongside friends, Stephen Pearson, Francois Tardieu and Hans Helweg. The event, sponsored by the PartyGammon backgammon server, was held from January 21-25, 2007 at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas - the final was played on the Dragons Patio of the Atlantis Resort from about 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 25, 2007.

Eddy is a keen backgammon player, both personally and professionally, having played all of his life from a young age.

He is a member of Player International, a London based company that organises huge backgammon events across the globe. The founder, Stephen Pearson, remains a close friend of Eddy and is often seen in Eddy’s offices in London. Perhaps for a practice run...

Eddy Swaab has always enjoyed fine dining. He has eaten in some of the most celebrated restaurants across the globe on his travels, and one thing you can definitely say about Mr Swaab is that he knows good food.

Eddy is not easy to please, however, and the menu, service, ambience, situation, and most importantly, the wine list, have to be 100% before a restaurant is added to Eddy’s ‘Favourite Restaurant’ list...

Here we list some of the restaurants that Eddy will happily take a table at, and even invite guests to share in the experience with him:

LONDON

• L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is based in Covent Garden and was awarded 2 Michelin Stars in 2010. The menu is predominantly French, with Italian and Spanish elements.

Eddy first visited this restaurant in March 2010, and was impressed by their ‘Menu Decouverte’ – a tasting menu showcasing the delights of the chef’s true talents.

• Lutyens

Lutyens, based in Fleet Street, is a regular and convenient lunch venue for when Eddy is in town. You will find him here around 3 times a week, always at table 11. He is a fan of the ‘Ballotine of foie gras’.

Lutyens opened on 29th June 2009 and includes a large bar with a charcuterie counter, 130 seat restaurant, crustacea, members club and 4 private dining and meeting rooms.

• Zafferano

Close to Eddy’s London home, Zafferano has been a favourite of Eddy’s for many years. The award winning Michelin star restaurant has been acclaimed over and over again for its honest, wholesome take on Italian cuisine. The wine list is mostly Italian, and has won Wine Spectator’s ‘Award of Excellence’ for many years running.

AMSTERDAM

• Visaandeschelde

This ten year old restaurant is a favourite of Eddy’s and is perfectly placed for a business lunch before rushing to the airport. Visaandeschelde specialises in sumptuous seafood dishes. The Head Chef and owner, Michiel Deenik, has the very best dishes on the menu prepared for Mr Swaab’s regular visits.

• Aan De Poel

This seafront restaurant is located in ‘the best spot in Amstelveen’. Stefan van Sprang and Robbert Veuger always welcome Eddy with open arms and have his table prepared and wine open. The fish is caught and served fresh each day, a particular favourite of Eddy’s being the ‘5 times King Crab’.